The present invention relates to a roofing element of the kind stated in the introductory part of the claim.

In roof building a support of plywood, moisture resistant paper pulp sheet or roof boarding is usually mounted and is then • ^; covered with shingle or a similar water proof coating.

From British Patent Specification No. 816 447 a roofing sheet is known, comprising a supporting plate of a thin fibrous or other substantially rigid material, and the roofing felt is attached along one or more lines parallel to the longitudinal sides of the supporting plate. By means of such a roofing sheet it is possible to obtain a roof covering offering considerable advantages in that the roofing sheet is self-supporting and hence may be hailed directly to the battens of the roof without using shutter boards.

In fig. 5 of said British Patent Specification a rectangular fibrous plate is shown, the width of which corresponds to the distance between the battens of the roof to be covered and which is provided with a shingle-like roofing felt provided with ton¬ gues in order to simulate roofing slates.

According to the present invention said roofing operation is carried out in one step by the utilization of support plates that are provided with at least one layer of shingle or the like in advance. The length, thickness and width of the support plate is adapted so as to provide a finished roof that corresponds to prevailing regulations when said elements have been laid on the

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roof supporting framework.

An especially suitable material for the portion of. the roof el ment forming the support is plywood having a thickness of e.g. approximately 10 mm and a length of approximately 3 m. The wi of the supporting plates may vary with the shingle or coating used and its thickness. For elements that are e.g. covered wi a shingle layer the width will be in the order of 13-15 cm.

The novel elements, thus, consist of a roof plate onto which a conventional roofing sheet, e.g. shingle has been attached by adhesion and/or stitching. If desired, said roof plates may . naturally be tongued in a conventional manner.

The roofing element according to the present invention will be disclosed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein fig. 1 shows a roofing element according to the invent in perspective, fig. 2 is a section along line II-II in fig. 1 and fig. 3 shows the element from below.

In the figures 1 is the portion of the element that forms the supporting roof and 2 is the shingle attached to said support. Reference number 3 shows the portion of the sheet that project from the element and especially shows a lap that will partly cover an element below. A recess 4 extends in the entire lower side of the element and 5 shows suitably arranged adhesive st of a conventional kind.

Fig. 4 shows how the novel elements are combined in pairs when packed for transport and storage. Since said elements are pro¬ vided with the longitudinal recess 4, the adhesive strip 5 tha is suitably provided on the underside of shingle 2 will be received within recess 4, so that said two elements will not a here. In this manner an old problem in connection with such el ments is avoided. The novel element is, thus, characterized b the features stated in the characterizing part of the claim.

The present invention has considerable advantages due to the f that time is saved by mounting the supporting roof and e.g. th

shingle covering in one operation. The manner of mounting the elements will now be disclosed ^" . After mounting the roof frame, the lowermost row of the elements to form the support and cover¬ ing is provided and secured by clips. Then the next row of ele¬ ments is mounted in such a manner that the projecting portions 3 e.g. of shingel 2 will partly cover and protect the previous¬ ly mounted elements. Said second row is also secured by clips. ^•

To facilitate the mounting and securing operation H-shaped clips may be used, wherein the elements are inserted.

In connection with the above indicated method considerable advan¬ tages are achieved, namelyj

Considerable time is saved due to the fact that the supporting roof and the covering shingle are mounted simultaneously.

Also, safety is enhanced, since the elements can be mounted from ".inside", that is 'a-construction worker need not stand on the lowermost part of a smooth and slippery roof as is usual in- con¬ ventional shingle roofing. It is only necessary to walk on the roof for mounting the ridge of the roof. Then the roof will al¬ ready be covered by e.g. sand strewn shingle which secures an exe.llent- foothold.

A delay between the mounting of the supporting roof and e.g. shingle is eliminated, which means that the material of the sup¬ porting layer will not be moistened due to rain. Such moisten¬ ing is most unfavourable when conventional shingle is to be mounted on a supporting roof. When there is a time interval be¬ tween the mounting of the supporting roof and the shingle, the supporting roof is usually covered with felt for protection against rain, and this is avoided by the use of the novel ele¬ ments.

It is, thus, possible to carry out the roofing even in rainy weather without any hazard worth mentioning that those portions of the elements that form the support will be exposed to rain, since the elements comprise a protecting layer of shingle.

The buyer is also guaranteed securely attached shingle or the like, since the operation of attaching shingle or the like to the roof support is carried out under controlled conditions in the factory.

The novel roofing elements are provided with a longitudinal re cess 4 as mentioned above. The location of said recess 4 in th rigid board 1 ensures that the adhesive strips 5 will not for an adhering contact between two elements combined as shown in fig. 4. Thus, elements can be packed in a space-saving and rational manner without any hazard of binding together. The recess 4, thus, contributes to make the elements practical and to the said advantages.